Blade arrangements or systems for snow removal are typically mounted directly to a vehicle so as to remove snow and ice from a wide variety of road surfaces. Depending on the environmental conditions, the type of road surface and the user ability that the snow plough blade arrangement is exposed to, the wear on the snow plough blade can be extensive and costly as the operator is constantly replacing the blades. Typical challenges for the blades include uneven road surface resulting in uneven/premature wear, repeated impact to the blades, hitting obstacles on the road, and operator error.
Prior art blade systems have been devised to address some of the noted problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,017 issued May 5, 1998 to Jostein discloses a ploughshare having cutting edges and a securing device for attachment to a plough. The plough share has a number of individual metallic shares which are firmly permanently embedded in an elastomer mass. During use, each individual share is independently moveable from the underlying surface against the elasticity in the mass with a view of absorbing or adjusting itself to irregularities in the underlying surface. The share is mounted substantially vertical and is especially designed for equipment for clearing snow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,205 issued on Jan. 24, 1986 to Smathers and relates to a snow plow apparatus is described having segmented blade means comprising a plurality of bits. Each bit is connected to a vertically disposed shank having a triangular cross-section. The shank is slidably mounted in triangularly-shaped retention means carried by the plow moldboard. Bias means urges the shank and bit to its normal downward position. Each bit is independently mounted so that it can be vertically displaced when it encounters a high point in the roadway or an obstruction. The bias means urges the bit downwardly again when the obstruction is cleared.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,032 which issued on Apr. 28, 1998 to Vauhkonen relates to a plough blade arrangement for a snow-plough. The plough blade arrangement includes a frame consisting of a flat part removably attached to the plough, several blade plates covering the desired working width, and attachment members for the blade plates to the frame. The aforesaid attachment members consist of flexible members, which are arranged to permit the movement of the blade plates essentially in only one direction in the direction of the surface of the frame when the blade plate strikes an obstacle or pit.
U.S. Pat. No. 2004/0231201 issued on Nov. 25, 2004 to Hamel relates to an articulated scraper blade system mounted to a snow plow blade length installed in the front of a vehicle for snow scraping, which comprises a multitude of carbide sections moving independently when they strike an obstacle on a road surface.
The prior art however does not address the reduction of wear on snow blade systems as a result of the blades having metal to metal contact at different points in the attachment system. Furthermore prior art systems do not completely address the ability to accommodate uneven and different road surfaces. Finally the easy replacement of blades and the ecologically safe disposal of the blades and flexible elements are also not adequately addressed.
Thus a wearing edge attachment system that is easy to attach and detach, can be disposed of in an ecological approved manner, contours to uneven road surface, cleans the road more, completely eliminates metal to metal contact and therefore wear by isolating the wearing edge is desirable.